Where pro soccer and youth soccer meet

The announcement on Monday that Milwaukee Professional Soccer, which is trying to secure a Major League Soccer franchise in Milwaukee, has reached a tentative partnership agreement with the largest youth soccer group in the state has lots of potential.

But "potential" is the key word here. There are no outward signs yet that Major League Soccer is ready to expand in Milwaukee. Peter Wilt, the ceo of Milwaukee Pro Soccer, said his group hopes to convince MLS to approve a franchise here in 2008. Wilt and his friends are also without a site to build the group's proposed 20,000-seat stadium.

And last but not least, Milwaukee Pro Soccer needs investors, though Wilt says they have a lead investor in mind.

The deal with the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association is still subject to approval by both sides. Bill Podewils, the president of WYSA, said the membership of his group will vote on the measure this weekend.

Should any of this come to fruition, WYSA could end up being a big winner here. The deal not only gives WYSA a piece of the MLS team, but also gives the group a seat on the franchise's board of directors.

There's more. In addition to guaranteeing the proposed MLS franchise that it will commit to buying hundreds of thousands of dollars in season tickets, the WYSA get annual statewide coaching and youth clinics featuring MLS team members. The WYSA also will be the beneficiary of the franchise's charitable arm, and it is guaranteed that at least three WYSA alumni will be on the team's roster at any time.

The WYSA is a huge organization, representing 140 soccer clubs around the state, and 56,000 young people. Assuming its membership approves the plan, it could open the way for more and better soccer in the state for years to come.

Now it's up to Milwaukee Pro Soccer to get an investor group together to convince MLS that professional soccer belongs in Milwaukee. It will be a formidable undertaking.